Swimming around the Isle of Wight

Matt Dawson plans to circumnavigate the Isle of Wight as part of an island triathlon. He tells us about his training and preparation, and what this epic swim will involve.

English Channel swimmer Matt Dawson plans to join a small but elite group of swimmers who have circuited the Isle of Wight. It’s part of a challenge he’s called the Tr’Isle of Wight. He wants to do three consecutive laps of the Isle of Wight, each around 100km: 1 lap swimming, 1 lap cycling and 1 lap running. 

As well as crossing the Channel, Matt has past swimming form for epic challenges. In 2023, he swam the length of all the swimmable lakes in the Lake District. Non-stop.

When we caught up with Matt, he was just returning from a 55km training swim in the Solent.

1. What do you see as the main challenges with the Isle of Wight swim?

There’s a reason fewer than ten people have swum around the Isle of Wight. It’s a complex and demanding challenge. Compared to this, the logistics of swimming the English Channel almost seem straightforward, and that’s saying something.

The distance alone is daunting: roughly 64 miles (100km). Crucially, the success of the swim depends on getting tidal assistance, which helps to reduce the physical demand but makes the planning far more intricate. I’ve had a steep learning curve when it comes to tides and the nuances of tidal flow.

At the time of writing (two months before the attempt), I plan to leave from Seaview on the northeast corner of the island and swim anticlockwise, following in the strokes of those who’ve done it before. There are three critical tidal “gates” to hit at the right time — The Needles, St Catherine’s Point, and Bembridge — or I risk swimming on the spot, or worse, being swept backwards.

The Needles is the most crucial of the three. If I don’t reach it before the tide turns, I’ll be pushed back the way I came. I’d assumed tidal charts would make it easy to predict where I should be and when. But a recent training swim taught me otherwise. I was too close to shore, missed the main flow, and got caught in an eddy that pushed me backwards. My crew had no clear reference points, so we struggled to find the right line. The same precision will be needed at St Catherine’s and Bembridge.

I’m incredibly lucky to have a core crew of friends supporting me.  We’ve been through quite a few adventures together, including helping me set a new World Record (unofficial) for a 70Km Lake District Swim in 2023. They’re resourceful, reliable, and up for a challenge, but none of us are experts in navigating this specific coastline.

The people are only part of the equation. We’ll also need multiple support vessels: kayakers to guide and feed me, a powerboat for safety and supplies, and a mothership to monitor the route and keep us clear of busy marine traffic, including the large ferries that cross to the mainland. Fortunately, friends Nick and Trish, both keen sailors, have generously offered their boat and time to support the swim, and our local Scout group (Batchworth Sea Scouts) the use of their power boat.

Weather and wind will also play a big role. It’s not just about when the tides line up; it’s about hoping conditions are safe and swimmable on those days. Ideally, I want to make it round in two tides, fast enough to get on the bike leg as soon as possible after. But the reality is, it’s going to take everything coming together, and it’s still unlikely that I’ll make it in that window. If not, what happens next is still a bit of an unknown.  Actually, if I do make it, it’s also unknown!

2. How are you finding the information needed?

I’ve been amazed by the support I’ve received. Everyone I’ve spoken to has been enthusiastic and eager to help.  

There’s not much published information about swimming around the Isle of Wight; sailing, yes, but not swimming. Luckily, both the open water and sailing communities have been generous with their knowledge.

I started by speaking with Olly Rush, who holds the current wetsuit record (a staggering 15 hours, 9 minutes). He shared his experience and connected me with his crew, who provided insight into route planning, tidal timing, and safety logistics.

Understanding the tides has been the biggest challenge. I initially reached out to friends with sailing connections, but their experience didn’t align with what I needed. Eventually, after trying various options I got lucky: I contacted the author of a blog post about yacht racing around the island, who then put me in touch with Jules, a professional sailing navigator. Using sophisticated sailing software, Jules helped plot my ideal position at three-minute intervals for one of the training swims.

However, inshore waters where I’ll be doing some of the swimming aren’t covered by the software because sailing boats typically avoid them. That means my crew will have to make real-time adjustments on the day, which we’ve already learned in training is not an easy thing for the untrained eye.  We’re still on the hunt for an experience navigator to give us the best chance of success.

Another key resource has been Winning Tides by Graham Sunderland, often referred to as the “bible” for yacht racing around the island. When I contacted Graham, he confirmed what Jules had told me, that inshore water flow remains something of an unknown. He then kindly set up a WhatsApp group with experienced sailors to see if they can help work this out.

Safety is a major concern, particularly in the busy northern waters of the Solent. We’ve liaised with local harbour masters, all of whom have been constructive, practical, and positive. Cowes Harbour will be the trickiest to navigate due to its constant boat traffic. Since I won’t be able to stop or tread water in the 3-knot tide, the Harbour Master has agreed to temporarily close the harbour entrance for the five minutes it should take me to pass, which is humbling and pretty cool.

3. What have you learned from your training swims so far?

The biggest takeaway? This is going to be anything but straightforward.

After our first training swim in April, from Egypt Point to Yarmouth (about 14km), my friend and crew member, Russ joked, “All you have to do is float and let the tide do the work.”

And at first, it felt that way. Despite the 10°C water, I didn’t even need to stop for my third feed. We’d covered the distance in under 1 hour 45 minutes, about 48 seconds per 100m. I’m getting nowhere near that pace in the pool, let alone the open water.  It just goes to show how powerful the tides are when you get it right.

The next day’s swim, a return trip from Ryde to East Cowes (14.6km), was closer to a typical pace at 3 hours 13 minutes, but I still got a big benefit from the tide picking up speed on the way back.

Buoyed by those swims and confident in my tidal plan, I approached the next test in June: Totland Bay to Seaview, aiming to get around the key tidal gates on one tide. But I underestimated the conditions. On the sail over the day before, we battled strong wind-over-tide waves, and the crew almost called it off because it was getting too dangerous. By the next morning, the wind had dropped and things looked more promising.

Unfortunately, I had plotted our start too close to shore and got caught in a back-eddy, rather than the main flow of the outgoing tide. After 45 minutes, it became clear we wouldn’t make it to The Needles before the tide turned. I had to jump into the powerboat to be ferried closer. Even then, I felt like I was swimming on the spot, but eventually managed to get through, with the help of Rich on the Kayak picking a safe route through.  A side note, ‘threading The Needles’ has to be one of my top swimming moments; a bucket list swim.

On the other side of The Needles, I faced rough seas and winds that pushed me toward shore. I couldn’t get into a rhythm with my stroke and was constantly veering off course.  Progress was slow going as the waves continued to build. St Catherine’s (also known as the “washing machine”) was brutal. Rich had already had a tough few hours in the kayak, but at this point was constantly swamped by waves and had to paddle away so that he could stay upright. The powerboat stayed close and helped guide me, but conditions worsened. On feed stops, the crew also had to contend with helping to bail water from the kayak, which slowed us down further.  After 8 hours and roughly 35km, the crew decided to abort the swim.  Bizarrely, I was probably the safest of the lot of us.

It was disappointing not to finish, but we achieved the key purpose: to learn valuable lessons.  We now know the conditions we can’t swim in. I’ve also gained confidence: I’ve seen The Needles and St Catherine’s in worse conditions than I’ll be doing the main event, and I feel better prepared.

One unexpected lesson? Mouthwash is amazing!  At the end of my Channel swim, I discovered my uvula (dangly bit at the back of the throat) had swollen to the point that it was touching my tongue at the back of my throat, which was unpleasant to say the least.  I want to avoid this happening again, especially with my plan to cycle and run directly after the swim.  I thought mouthwash might be the answer and it made my mouth taste amazing for five glorious minutes. But, once wasn’t enough to stop my uvula swelling up again on my last training swim. I’ll up the frequency next time. If anyone has any known tricks to combat this, I’d love to hear them.

4. What have you learned from others who have done the swim?

From what I’ve found, only six people have successfully completed solo circumnavigation swims of the Isle of Wight.

Four have done it without wetsuits — Kevin Murphy (1971), Mike Read (1976), Alison Streeter (1984), and Anna Wardley (2013). Two have completed it in wetsuits; Scott Dawson (no relation, 2016) and Olly Rush (2021).

I’ve been fortunate to speak with Olly, Scott, and Anna – all of whom have been generous with their time and advice. Olly and Scott have been especially relevant to my planning since I’m attempting the swim in a wetsuit.

As a Channel solo swimmer myself, I recognise the ongoing debate about wetsuit vs. non-wetsuit swims. I know the wetsuit provides a significant advantage, and so the two types of swims should be viewed separately, but still have their merits.

For this challenge, I chose the wetsuit because the swim is just one part of a larger goal: to be the first person to consecutively swim, cycle, and run a full lap of the island, which I’m calling the Tr’Isle of Wight.

Scott was the first to complete all three disciplines over about 13 months. I’m hoping to do them back-to-back.

Matthew is raising funds for Access Sport CIO. Please support him here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/matthew-dawson-9

For updates on Matthew’s journey, follow him on Instagram: @mattendures